Assessing Trends and Policies of Foreign Direct Investment in the United States

Assessing Trends and Policies of Foreign Direct Investment in the United States
The United States is the world’s largest recipient of foreign direct investment (FDI), receiving $237 billion in 2007. The total stock of FDI represents nearly 14 percent of U.S. gross domestic product. But there is an increasingly competitive international environment for FDI flows. This report, prepared by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Invest in America program, takes a look at investment trends and examines policies that may affect foreign investment in the United States. It includes discussions of the economic effects of FDI, the advantages that the United States possesses as a location for investment, and the roles that government programs play in attracting FDI inflows.